Student accused of bringing loaded gun to Dunbar High School

A Dunbar High School student was released from jail Thursday on bond after deputies say he brought a loaded gun to school on the bus the day before.

The high school was briefly put on lockdown Wednesday morning after school officials received a call that a student would be bringing a gun to school.

Steven Barnes, 18, of Fort Myers, is charged with Possession of a Handgun on School Property and Resisting an Officer with Violence.

On Thursday Barnes' mother begged the court for his release - and we spoke with the Lee County School District superintendent who characterized the incident as isolated.

It was the first gun incident at a Lee County school so far this year - after four incidents last year.

Scary school incident

A suspect was met at the door by staff and administration who took him into a room to search him - but then he fled the building and ran toward the school's stadium.

Authorities say the student brought the gun and tried to flee.

He was apprehended and school officials said authorities did find a loaded gun on him. He was taken into custody.

We are told nobody was hurt and the student had no interaction with students inside the building. The lockdown lasted about 15 minutes.

According to police, school administrators received an anonymous tip that a student named "Steven" may be in possession of a gun. Based on that information, school administrators went on the lookout for all "Stevens" arriving on campus.

As one of the school buses arrived, administrators observed Steven Barnes exit the bus. As Barnes approached administrators, they could smell an odor of marijuana on him, police say.

Barnes was escorted to the nearest office in the gym area and informed that he was being administratively searched due to the extremely strong odor of marijuana on him. Barnes refused to be searched and his demeanor became more angry and aggressive, according to police.

The School Resource Officer then placed his arms around Barnes to detain him. At that time, the deputy felt a hard item in the front waist area of Barnes. Barnes was able to break free and fled from the office and the SRO deployed his TASER to gain compliance of Barnes, but was unsuccessful, according to the release.

A tight perimeter was quickly established and Dunbar High School was placed on lockdown. A short time later, a Lee County Sheriff's Office K-9 apprehended Barnes hiding under a track mat, adjacent to the football field. As Barnes moved, a black handgun was observed in plain view under his abdomen, police say.

Barnes was taken into custody and subsequently treated and released by Lee County EMS for his injuries. Following his medical release, Barnes was booked into the Lee County Jail.

Dunbar High School Principal Carl Burnside said: "LCSO worked on taking care of this student as soon as the student was on campus. We had the best possible outcome, considering a student made a mistake which is something that could happen anywhere."

No one was hurt and the gun was never fired. Deputies are not releasing any motive, but students tell us Barnes was well-liked and had many friends at the high school.

First court appearance

Barnes on Thursday bonded out of jail. The first court hearing in the case was on Thursday - where bond was set at $15,000, or $7,500 on each count.

Another court date was set for May 18.

Barnes' mother says she needs his help at home after having a recent surgery. She says he is a good student and has been bullied. She begged for him to be released.

In court, Barnes told the judge he would do what his mother tells him to do.

Superintendant speaks

Lee County School District Superintendent Nancy Graham spoke with us on Thursday about Wednesday's incident.

"In proportion to the number of things that go on in Lee County schools, it is not a huge issue but one gun is too many," Graham said.

Graham said the incident was isolated and resulted from one student making a poor decision.

"Schools are a microcosm of society - so as long as firearms are available in society and easy access exists we will have this challenge in schools," Graham said.

Some parents are now saying they want more security - such as metal detectors.

"The child never had an opportunity to interact with students once he got to the school," Graham said. "I would tell you that schools are still the safest place for children to be."

Graham notes that incidents like this can be avoided through developing good relationships with students and their parents - so they alert adults about situations such as this - as was the case here.

It will be up to the school district to determine if Barnes will be allowed to return to the high school.